In August 2026, 1,050 new trucks and specialty vehicles were added to Ukraine’s fleet, which is 20% less than in July of this year, according to a report by “Ukravtoprom” on its Telegram channel.
At the same time, compared to August of last year, demand for these vehicles increased by 12%.
Renault remains the market leader with 250 units, which is 47 fewer vehicles than a month ago.
Mercedes-Benz took second place, with 121 registrations compared to 114 in July. Volkswagen came in third with 100 units (it was not among the top five in July).
Next were Citroën with 85 units (117 units in July 2026) and FIAT with 67 units (107 units).
As previously reported, last August the top five were Renault, Citroën, Peugeot, Toyota, and Hyundai, and sales fell by 14% compared to August 2024—to 937 units.
According to data from “Ukravtoprom,” overall sales growth for trucks and special-purpose vehicles from January through August 2026 slowed to 14% compared to the same period last year, reaching 8,626 new vehicles (sales growth stood at 15% for January through July).
As reported, citing data from “Ukravtoprom,” registrations of new trucks and specialty vehicles in 2025 fell by 5% compared to 2024—to nearly 12,300 vehicles.
According to Experts.news, Ukraine imported 4.2 million metric tons of diesel fuel in January–August 2026, which is 7% more than during the same period in 2025, the A-95 Consulting Group reported.
However, in August alone, shipments fell by 10% year-over-year to 588,000 metric tons.
The main feature of the market in August was a significant restructuring of logistics. While a year earlier, approximately 50% of imported diesel fuel came via the southern route, in August 2026 that share fell to 33%. At the same time, the share of shipments via the western border rose from 50% to 67%.
According to Serhiy Kuyun, director of “A-95,” the change in routes is linked both to the price situation on the European market amid the war in Iran and to the increase in military risks, freight costs, and secondary logistics along the southern route.
A-95 expects that the fall will remain a challenging period for the fuel market due to intensified Russian attacks and market turbulence linked to the war in Iran.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent cited Ukraine’s attacks on Russian oil infrastructure as one of the causes of the global energy crisis and rising energy prices, according to The New York Times.
“We are currently experiencing an energy shock due to the war in Ukraine, as Ukraine has decided to target Russian energy assets and oil refineries, which is driving up prices globally,” Bessent said.
According to The New York Times, Bessent made this statement after two days of meetings in North Carolina with finance ministers from around the world. He cited Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil infrastructure as one of the causes of the global energy crisis, which he said was primarily caused by the U.S. war with Iran.
The publication notes that Bessent’s remarks came after the U.S. invited Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov to the G20 meeting, a move that drew criticism from some of Ukraine’s allies.
Bessent also defended his bilateral meeting with Siluanov, citing the need for cooperation to resolve Russia’s war against Ukraine.
At the same time, as the American publication notes, Bessent’s criticism of Ukraine’s military tactics sparked a negative reaction among Ukrainians.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/03/business/bessent-energy-prices-ukraine.html
Labor shortages, high construction costs, and the slow implementation of reforms and permitting procedures are the main challenges facing developers and architects in Ukraine during the war, according to representatives of the construction industry who spoke at the roundtable discussion “Building the Future: Development in Wartime.”
“There is a very severe shortage of construction workers. We all felt this problem this past spring. As a company owner, I am looking for people to finish building our projects,” said Oleksiy Baranov, founder and CEO of A Development, at the roundtable hosted by the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
In addition to purely construction-related specialties, there is also a shortage of architects on the market, said Yulia Polyukhovich, chief architect of the A Development project.
“There are many other challenges during the war. For example, there is a very severe shortage of personnel—there are very few architects right now. This is a very serious challenge, because whereas previously three or four architects would work on a project, now there may be only one,” she explained.
At the same time, architects must quickly adapt projects to reflect changes in building codes and standards, particularly regarding safety, the expert noted.
As Vitaliy Borul, CEO of CREDO Development, noted, the construction of underground shelters with emergency exits is a significant expense for developers, and therefore the government should compensate for the cost of building them.
“It looks cool, it’s safe, but it’s very expensive. I believe the government should compensate for the cost of underground shelters. The government is responsible for people’s safety, so we need to reach some kind of agreement with the government, and it should cover these costs,” the expert said.
Developers have also seen a significant increase in construction costs. Furthermore, the market reacts to every enemy attack on the city—after “strikes,” housing sales drop. Insurance against construction risks is also very expensive, Baranov noted.
“Before the war, the calculation was simple: the cost of materials (concrete or brickwork) was equal to the cost of labor. Today, the cost of labor exceeds the cost of materials by 2–3 times,” said the founder of A Development.
According to Baranov, significant obstacles are also created by unresolved procedures regarding the adoption of subordinate legislation by the government and ministries, particularly in the area of cultural heritage protection. At the same time, Kyiv’s local authorities have not considered land allocation requests for 1.5 years.
“For example, amendments were made to the law on cultural heritage, but the Ministry of Culture has not yet approved the relevant regulations. In May 2022, amendments came into effect under which it is impossible to carry out any work in the central historic area without designated zones and regulations. Yet the procedure was only approved in May of this year—meaning four years have passed. And yet, for example, there is still no procedure regarding heritage sites,” he noted.
Baranov emphasized that construction in Kyiv’s historic center must be well-thought-out and transparent, but at the same time controlled by the city.
“Kyiv must set an example. Construction is very expensive, and you can’t just erase a building with an eraser. We need to adopt an approach that ensures everything happens transparently and quickly, while still building structures that will remain relevant for years to come,” the expert said.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has added the following industrial parks to the Register of Industrial Parks “Horvatskyi Hostynets” (Mykolaiv, Stryi District, Lviv Region), with an area of 32.34 hectares, and “Bessarabsky AgroTech Park” (Artsyz, Odesa Region), with an area of 23 hectares, to the Register of Industrial Parks, the Ministry of Economy and Environment reported.
According to a statement on the ministry’s website, the Mykolaiv City Council is the initiator of the park’s creation in Lviv Oblast. Preliminary estimates indicate that 913 million hryvnias will be invested in the development of “Khorvatsky Gostinets” by the initiator, private investors, and the management company.
The park is expected to create approximately 1,500 new jobs.
Key areas of focus include the production of electric motors, generators, and transformers; non-metallic mineral products; machinery and equipment for the mining and construction industries; construction materials; as well as the development of mechanical engineering and alternative energy.
The city council initiated the creation of the “Bessarabian AgroTech Park” industrial park in Artsyz, where approximately 1,000 jobs are planned to be created. A total of 884 million hryvnias is expected to be raised from the initiator, private investors, and the management company to develop the facility.
The main areas of focus will be food production—specifically, the processing and canning of potatoes, fruits, and vegetables; the production of vegetable oils and animal fats; other sectors of the food industry; and alternative energy.
“Two parks—two sectors that we really need: machine building and agricultural processing. Not raw materials, but finished products,” Deputy Minister of Economy Vitaliy Kondratov is quoted as saying in the announcement.
The Ministry of Economy notes that the management company of the “Bessarabian AgroTech Park” is eligible for government incentives in the form of non-repayable financial assistance of up to 150 million hryvnia for infrastructure development.
Currently, there are 125 industrial parks registered in Ukraine, spread across nearly all regions.
As previously reported, as of the end of 2025, 37 industrial enterprises had been built or were under construction in industrial parks. The total amount of investment attracted to industrial parks exceeds 45 billion hryvnias.
Indian Foreign Minister Subramaniam Jaishankar stated that India has provided Ukraine with 19 shipments of humanitarian aid, including 160 metric tons of cargo consisting of generators, medicines, and medical equipment.
According to a correspondent for “Interfax-Ukraine,” he made these remarks at a press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga on Thursday in Kyiv. Jaishankar noted that he would meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later that day and convey greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“To date, we have provided 19 shipments of humanitarian aid, including 160 metric tons of generators, medicines, medical equipment, and other items. Minister Sibiga and I will discuss what further steps can be taken in this regard,” the minister said.
He expressed regret and condolences regarding the death of an Indian citizen two days ago as a result of an attack in Kyiv. Jaishankar noted that, in India’s view, “solutions will not emerge on the battlefield.”
“Every day of the conflict means only more deaths and more destruction. It is clear that the parties involved must find a way forward. But if India can help in any way, we are ready,” the foreign minister emphasized.
He added that this was the focus of today’s conversation with the Ukrainian foreign minister.
The sides also discussed attacks on commercial shipping.
